Anjali Dattani

Forty of the most progressive purveyors of food and drink appear today on the shortlist for the Food Made Good Awards 2018, the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s industry leading accolades for businesses helping diners use the power of their appetites wisely.

Between them, this rich mix of Michelin Star and fine dining restaurants, independent cafés and takeaways, high street brands and contract caterers are serving up a menu of practical solutions to some of the biggest sustainability challenges facing the foodservice sector.

Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, JD Wetherspoon, and The Black Swan at Oldstead, sit alongside Hawksmoor, Petersham Nurseries, and Nando’s on the list. Three operators from Ireland; Kai, Loam and FoodSpace as well as Woods Hill Table in the USA, are also among the finalists.

The Food Made Good Awards recognise restaurants and foodservice businesses whose accomplishments in the last year have driven progress in the industry and demonstrated that all food can be made delicious, ethical and sustainable. The shortlist is a treasure trove of concepts proven to make a positive difference. Every operator can find at least one great idea to try in their business.

The proven concepts which can be replicated include JD Wetherspoon empowering kids to choose their own veg, resulting in empty plates and less waste, Cardiff’s Dusty Knuckle Pizza pioneering of an aluminium takeaway box, and five-strong Hertfordshire group Lussmanns Sustainable Fish and Grill demonstrating that you can prosper selling high-end seafood at high street prices.

Raymond Blanc, OBE, President of the SRA, said “The Food Made Good Awards shortlist always delivers incredible examples of what the leaders in our industry are doing to create a better food future. Whether it’s chefs creating beautiful new menus that celebrate vegetables or finding new ways of using less plastic, the Food Made Good Awards are the perfect way to celebrate the people and businesses using food as a force for good. I would urge all chefs and restaurateurs to take inspiration from these sustainability pioneers and follow their lead.”

The winners of the 17 Food Made Good Awards will be revealed at a special ceremony on 1st October at FEST Camden in London. Cinnamon Club, Poco Tapas Bar, OXO Tower Restaurant Bar and Brasserie, Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen, The Good Egg and Oystermen will all be serving guests dishes created to follow the SRA’s recipe for a better food future – One Planet Plate.

Raymond Blanc’s Sustainability Hero 2018 will also be revealed at the ceremony, following in the footsteps of the likes of Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

FOOD MADE GOOD AWARDS 2018 shortlist in full (TUCO member in bold):

Celebrate Local and Seasonal: for the business making the very most of the larder on its doorstep

FoodSpace, across Ireland

Kai, Galway

Loam, Galway

Sponsored by Just Hospitality

Serve More Veg and Better Meat: rewarding the most innovative ways of flipping the menu

The Good Egg, London

Poco, Bristol

Woods Hill Table, Massachusetts, USA

Source Fish Responsibly: for the business doing most to help ensure plenty more fish in the sea

Angel Hill Food Company, UK wide

Lussmanns Sustainable Fish and Grill, Hertfordshire

University of Plymouth

Support Global Farmers: for the business going above and beyond in ethical sourcing

bartlett mitchell

The Gallivant

Open Right Award: Celebrating sites opened in last 12 months with sustainability built-in

Claw, London

Fhior, Edinburgh

Hawksmoor, Edinburgh

Sponsored by Shaftesbury

ENVIRONMENT PILLAR SPONSORED BY KINGSPAN

Value Natural Resources: for the business innovating to better preserve energy and water

Eden Caterers, London

Nando’s, UK-wide

Sticklebarn at Langdales, Cumbria

Sponsored by Quorn

Reduce Reuse Recycle: for the most impactful way of keeping as much as possible out of landfill

Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Oxfordshire

ODE-truefood, Devon

University of Winchester

Sponsored by Paper Round

Waste No Food: rewarding the very best ways of ensuring food stays out of the bin

Petersham Nurseries, London

Vacherin, London

JD Wetherspoon, UK wide

Good to Go Award: For the restaurant doing most to prove you don’t have to remove principles when taking away food

Brunch, Merseyside

Joe & ‘Za, London

Kingfisher Fish & Chips, Plymouth

Sponsored by Just Eat

Food Made Good Supplier of the Year

Belazu

Belu

Squeaky Energy

The People’s Favourite: Publicly-voted award run in partnership with delicious. magazine

The Black Swan, Oldstead, Yorkshire

The Breakfast Club, Soho

Dusty Knuckle Pizza, Cardiff

Treat Staff Fairly: for the business doing most to value staff through pay & beyond the paycheque

The Breakfast Club

Cafe St Honoré, Edinburgh

Leeming Pilkington

Sponsored by Freedom Brewery

Support The Community: for the business making food do good as well as taste good in its area

The Breakfast Club, London and South East

Harissa Kitchen, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Nando’s, UK wide

Sponsored by One Gin

Feed People Well: for the business doing the most to support adults and kids make good choices when eating out

Cardiff Metropolitan University

Farmacy Kitchen, London

Gather and Gather, Bristol

Sponsored by Ozone Coffee Roasters

Food Made Good Champion: for the individual doing most to engage the industry on the key sustainability issues via the SRA’s online member community

Henry Burgess of Henry’s Burgers, Essex

Lauren Haffenden of Lakeside at University of Surrey

James Crouch of University of Plymouth

Sponsored by Borough Wines

The following awards will be also presented on 1 October:

Raymond Blanc Sustainability Hero: An individual doing the most to create positive change across the sector

Sponsored by openblue Cobia

Food Made Good Business of the Year: The best in the business, excelling across the sustainable board

TUCO has launched the results of its most recent Benchmarking Against the High Street report. The research, completed by The Litmus Partnership, enables members to track their prices on a quarterly basis against that of the high street. The report, the latest of which covers the period March - June 2018, shows analysis by category, outlet, product, region and university demographic. The latest report saw a slight rise of 0.38% in the High Street prices for the comparable basket.

Data for September is now being sourced by The Litmus Partnership, and members may be contacted to provide their institution's prices and assist in helping this valuable research continue. We are also able to now invite members to complete the survey online, so are asking members to complete the form below. You will only need to complete the survey once, if you have annual pricing. However, you are able to remove products and add-on any that you may additionally sell later in the year, meaning you can add prices at any time via the same tool.

We hope you find the report useful in showing how high street prices are fluctuating compared to your own.

Coeliac UK, the largest independent charity for people who need to live gluten free, has announced recent research shows diagnosis of the autoimmune disease, coeliac disease, which affects 1 in 100 people, has risen in the UK from 24% in 2011 to 30% in 2015.

The research, commissioned by the charity, from the University of Nottingham, searched UK patient records up to and including 2015 for clinical diagnoses of coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis (the skin manifestation of coeliac disease).

The research showed that although diagnosis rose by a quarter in four years (2011-2015), alarmingly the rate of diagnosis was slowing significantly, resulting in around half a million people in the UK still living with undiagnosed coeliac disease.

It also highlighted that 1 in 4 adults over 18 years diagnosed with coeliac disease had previously been misdiagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), the same percentage that had been reported in research from 2013.

Sarah Sleet, chief executive of Coeliac UK said: “It’s fantastic that the research shows that around 45,000 people were diagnosed between 2011 and 2015. But with half a million people in the UK still without a diagnosis we’ve got a long way to go. The fact that testing for the condition is slowing and nothing has changed in people being diagnosed with IBS before being tested for coeliac disease, suggests the NHS is failing to address the mountain of underdiagnoses. We know this is even more urgent today as recent research is uncovering some symptoms of coeliac disease, specifically neurological ones that cannot be reversed without an early diagnosis.”

It still takes 13 years on average for a person with coeliac disease to be diagnosed.

The NICE guidelines for coeliac disease and IBS recommend that anyone presenting with IBS symptoms should be screened first for coeliac disease.

"It is essential that people with chronic gut conditions - whether that's coeliac disease or IBS - get an accurate diagnosis as quickly as possible. Having the right tests allows healthcare practitioners to put the right treatment in place and patients can learn how to best manage their condition," said Alison Reid CEO The IBS Network.

Coeliac disease is a serious autoimmune condition caused by a reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. People diagnosed with coeliac disease must maintain a strict gluten free diet for the rest of their life if they are to avoid very serious complications such as osteoporosis, infertility and although rare, small bowel cancer.

“The blood test for coeliac disease is relatively quick and cheap and we urge anyone that has ongoing symptoms to visit their GP and request to be screened for coeliac disease. Next year we will be launching a campaign targeting the medical profession to encourage them to consider if their patients could be suffering with undiagnosed coeliac disease or have been misdiagnosed with IBS and ensure that they do not to remove gluten from their diet prior to testing as this could lead to a false negative result,” continued Ms Sleet.

Although many people present with a range of symptoms including those that are gut related, other symptoms include mouth ulcers, anaemia, repeated miscarriages and neurological problems.

All PET bottles of Harrogate Spring are now made using more than 50 per cent rPET, the highest percentage use of UK post-consumer recycled PET of any water producer.

Brand manager Nicky Cain said: “Consumers may notice a slight blue, glass-like tinge due to the high percentage of rPET.

“This is something of a badge of honour. PET bottles are already the greenest packaging option for bottled water when compared with alternative packaging materials, using less carbon and producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions. The use of more than 50 percent rPET is even better for the environment, helping towards achieving a fully sustainable circular economy.

“This is the first time we have introduced colour on to our classic black and white Harrogate Spring labels. The use of green lettering underlines the importance of the move to more than 50 per cent rPET content and serves to reinforce the recycling message to consumers.

“The use of colour stands out, encouraging consumer interaction and a better understanding of the link between recycling and the use of rPET in the life cycle of the product.

“Harrogate Water is leading the industry in its use of UK post-consumer recycled PET. We want to go further and increase the amount of UK-sourced rPET in our bottles, but this is wholly dependent on availability of supply and this is why the recycling message to consumers is so important.

“There is currently a shortage of rPET and the UK has some way to go to match the best recycling rates in Europe.

“However, independent research commissioned by Harrogate Water in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy, found that bottled water consumers are very environmentally conscious and want to recycle.

“The more consistent the messaging, the greater the influence on consumer behaviour and this will help increase the supply of UK-sourced rPET and help achieve a circular economy.”

The switch to UK post-consumer recycled PET was announced earlier this year. It more than matches the recycled content of Harrogate Water’s glass bottles, which have used 50 per cent recycled content for many years. It is the latest environmental initiative by Harrogate Water which has been involved in the Incredible Shrinking Bottle recycling campaign with Keep Britain Tidy, urging consumers to ‘Twist it, Cap it, Recycle it’.

We were delighted to have been invited onto BBC World Service on 23rd August 2018 to discuss student eating habits. Our CEO, Mike Haslin, discussed food trends that we've seen through our recent research and how these have evolved for Generation Z and Millenials; including a rise in vegetarianism, veganism and 'Instagrammable' food.

The new products will be available from August 2018 joining current favourites in the now 12-strong Roots collection, including the bestselling Bhaji Bonanza sandwich, combining onion bhajis and Bombay potatoes, and the Shabby Chic Pea sandwich, which brings together spiced chickpeas with Moroccan style carrot and orange chutney.

In the past 12 months, Adelie has more than doubled the size of its vegan range following success with consumers and requests from customers to expand its offering.

Isla Owen, Senior Marketing Manager at Adelie Foods, said: “Innovation and keeping on top of trends is at the heart of our ethos at Adelie and catering for specialised diets such as Vegan is a big focus for us at URBAN eat. Meat free diets are becoming more common than ever, with approximately 12% of the UK population now following this type of diet.[1]

“We’re pleased to extend our Roots range with fresh, exciting sandwiches, wraps and paninis that give a real taste explosion. The new products will help retailers and foodservice suppliers cater for the growing market of consumers looking for more free from options during lunchtime.”

The new Roots range will be available from the August 20th 2018 from RRP £2.79. For more information on the range, call 0333 0037843 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Big Al’s is excited to announce the launch of its Breakfast Matters campaign, designed to support university caterers and successfully tap into the profitable morning occasion.

Already in significant growth, and showing no sign of slowing, the NPD group predicts breakfast visits to grow by +5.7% in 2018 and a further +4.8% in 2019 - presenting a prosperous opportunity for operators. Breakfast is the most popular meal of the day amongst Millennials and GenZ and if skipped, can negatively affect student’s focus and concentration levels.

As part of the Breakfast Matters campaign, Big Al’s aims to support operators and promote the importance of breakfast for students and staff, through the creation of ‘Breakfast Campaign’ packs. Complete with POS for venues and digital assets, the packs are a great tool for operators, and encourage the implementation of breakfast events during Freshers Week.

The first 20 universities to sign up will receive 40 free servings of Big Al’s delicious Sausage Pattie, launched earlier this year to assist operators in catering for the ever-growing breakfast market. Big Al’s Sausage Patties are made from fully cooked pork, flame grilled for great taste and seasoned with sage, nutmeg and pepper for a delicious authentic flavour. Ready to serve from frozen in less than a minute, the Sausage Patties can be built into a simple on the go option for busy students or a more indulgent morning meal.

Serve a Big Al’s Sausage Pattie with a slice of cheese, Framptons Muffin Omelette and drop of ketchup encased in a KaterBake English Breakfast Muffin, for students grabbing something to go. Or for a sit down breakfast dish, offer a Big Al’s Sausage Pattie on a bed of spinach, topped with a slice of cheese, poached egg and drizzle of hollandaise sauce, all in a toasted brioche bun.

Jessie McCarthy, Business Development Executive comments; “After a successful launch of the Big Al’s Sausage Pattie we are thrilled to introduce this dedicated breakfast campaign for universities. The POS and digital assets in the pack are available to higher education caterers to help them stay on top of current trends and entice students to eat breakfast on campus rather than venturing to the high-street, keeping spend in-house.. Big Al’s will be on hand to support each universities’ campaign and the sales team can be there on the day to assist with sampling events, and engage with students to unlock each outlets profit potential.”

To sign up for a free ‘Breakfast Campaign’ pack for your outlet and be in with a chance of winning a sample of Sausage Patties click here.

You can now book a place on the Anaphylaxis Campaign’s annual corporate conference, which this year will take place on Tuesday 18th September at No. 11 Cavendish Square, London. Please click on the link below to book.

Lion sauces has published an insight paper focusing on the rise of vegan and plant-based menu options.

With 44% of Brits either not eating meat, reducing the amount they eat or willing to cut down, Lion’s new paper, Flavour Forecast: Meat-Free Goes Mainstream, delves into consumer behaviour and offers suggestions for keeping menus ahead of the curve.

Where once vegan food was classed as a niche interest area, it is now a rapidly growing trend. Lion’s new publication, the latest in a series of research pieces, explores how foodservice operators can embrace the opportunities available.

Sarah Moor, brand manager for Lion sauces, comments: “Catering for vegan customers – or those who want to eat fewer animal-based products – is big business. Health, sustainability and environmental concerns have led to a rise in demand for creative meat-free menu choices.

“With a Vegan Society survey finding that 91% of vegans still struggle to find food-to-go options, there is a real opportunity for the foodservice industry to vie for the ‘plant pound’.”

The paper also identifies as a key trend a move away from processed ingredients towards plant-based whole foods.

Anticipating the growing demand for animal-free options, Lion has recently launched a new vegan mayo to the foodservice market. Ideal for sandwiches, wraps, dips, coleslaw, and even cakes, this creamy and tasty addition to the Lion range of condiments and sauces makes the creation of plant-based menu options much more straightforward.

Moor adds: “It’s important for chefs and caterers to build up a bank of ingredients that are suitable for the majority of dietary requirements – for example, our new vegan mayo can be enjoyed by meat-eaters, veggies and vegans, as well as those with gluten, dairy or mustard allergies.”

Lion constantly monitors the ever-changing landscape of the sector to ensure its products help businesses meet current dietary requirements and nutrition targets. As customers increasingly lean towards options that are accessible to all, the next insight paper in the series will explore the ‘Free From’ movement, including the results of Lion’s current drive towards clean-label products.

Simply Lunch, Food to Go brand, are excited to reveal a fresh and new brand look. The creative designs will transcend across all product packaging, the Simply Lunch website and retail collateral.

The start of the process began with a new logo design. Simply Lunch’s founding year, 1979, can be seen alongside the company name with their trademark hummingbird at the centre of the logo; this particular bird represents Simply Lunch because they seek out the best ingredients - as the hummingbird seeks out the best nectar from a flower.

All Simply Lunch associated imagery has also seen a refresh; the now vibrant, fresh, Insta-friendly illustrated food designs and photography can be seen in detail on the new website (launching end of July), at points of retail and housed on pack for the ultimate lunch. The packaging includes artwork from a local artist, Suzie Maloney and a little about the heritage of Simply Lunch.

The brand has made important packaging improvements across ranges including sandwiches, salads, wraps and paninis. The external design and the physical structure of the Food to Go products has been updated, elevating the positioning of the brand portfolio at retail. Customers will now experience sleek pre-printed packaging. Following a consumer-centric design process, different coloured packs for different dietary requirements have been introduced including vegan products in green and fish in blue packs. Simply Lunch have also printed a nutritional traffic light system on all SKUs as well as an icon system that highlights key product information such as gluten and dairy free.

The design process has been a cross-functional effort, with a clear vision for the next generation of Simply Lunch in mind, ensuring that the designs capture the heart and spirit of the company and the attention of today’s time poor and diverse Food to Go customer.

Sam Page, Managing Director Comments: “Simply Lunch is renowned for high quality products made with the best locally sourced ingredients. The new packaging was created to enhance the customer experience of our already delicious products. In today’s retail climate and the consumer need for information it was important that our new designs included more details on the ingredients and how and where it was produced. We are absolutely delighted with the final outcome and we hope that all our customers feel the same. This refresh is just the beginning of a host of developments across the brand which we cannot wait to share with everyone.”

Sustainability remains central to the company values. All new packaging is widely recyclable and environmental friendly.

The dedicated Account Management team are working closely with their extensive customer base to introduce the new POS designs into stores. The response to the new packaging has been extremely positive following a retail trial.

Alongside the new website launch, Simply Lunch are pleased to introduce an innovative online ordering system. The customer-friendly platform will allow clients to create orders with ease and on the go, further complimenting Simply Lunch’s high standard of customer service.